Crack out the marmalade sandwiches. Paddington is back.

On Friday, the kindhearted bear from "darkest Peru" returned to the big screen. Paddington in Peru is the third cinematic outing for the friendly bear, following two beloved - and hugely successful - instalments.¹ 

And this time, he has ID. Earlier this year, Britain's Home OfficeThe government department responsible for immigration, security, law and order. awarded Paddington a British passport. He is the first animated character - and first bear - to receive such an honour.

Paddington first appeared in Michael Bond's 1958 children's book A Bear Called Paddington. In it, he is discovered at London's Paddington train station with a suitcase and a note around his neck. He is adopted by the Brown family. 

Bond was inspired by seeing Jewish refugees and British evacueesA person who is taken from a place of danger to one of safety. Used most often to refer to British children who were moved from cities to the countryside to escape bombing during World War Two. during World War Two. Bond said: "I do think that there's no sadder sight than refugees." Paddington's best friend, the antique dealer Mr Gruber, was based on a Jewish immigrant friend of Bond's.

Paddington was a hit. Twenty-eight more books followed, selling 30 million copies in 30 languages.² In 1994, a Paddington cuddly toy became the first item to be passed from Britain to France down the Channel Tunnel.

He arguably reached a new level of fame with the first animated film in 2014. Paddington 2 (2017) was even bigger. Critics loved it.³ Paddington became a global sensation. Soon after he even appeared in a comedy sketch with Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her platinum jubileeMajor anniversaries of coronations and other public events are called jubilees, and named after materials of increasing value. Fifty years, for instance, is a golden jubilee..

Like Bond's books, the films have a simple but powerful message. As critic K Austin Collins writes in The Ringer: "Paddington is the hardworking, bighearted outsider who's managed to become an essential part of his community." We should love our neighbours, regardless of where they come from.

Today, politics and the media are full of fraught debates around identity. PopulistThe term comes from the People's Party, which operated in the USA in the 1890s. Now, it is often used to refer to any movement that makes a distinction between the "people" and the corrupt "establishment". politicians stoke anger against minority groups, such as immigrants and transgenderSomeone whose gender identity (what they feel inside) does not match the gender identity they were assigned at birth (based on their biology). people. 

Paddington teaches us that we should treat others with kindness. And it also suggests that people cannot be reduced to their identities. Indeed, everyone has several overlapping ones. 

Paddington is Peruvian and British, bear and Brown family member. As Paddington in Peru co-writer Jon Foster says: "An immigrant isn't somebody who arrives, he's somebody who has a place they've come from."

Yet not everyone thinks Paddington can change minds. The first two films were massively successful. But there is no sign they had any effect. BigotryPrejudice towards a certain group, and an unwillingness to change your mind. remains. The United States has just elected a man running on an anti-immigrant platform. A film about a cartoon bear is not going to change that.

Worse, perhaps Paddington's good-natured world makes us turn a blind eye to real injustice. The films portray a rose-tinted England devoid of real life social problems.

The passport stunt, says sociologist Katie Tonkiss, "is an unsettling display of double standards" from a Home Office that has overseen harsh immigration policies. A plummy cartoon bear can become British - but real life people escaping hardship cannot. 

Will the film help heal identity wars?

Yes: Paddington in Peru will not change things overnight. But it should help to instil values of kindness and fairness in those who watch it.

No: Paddington in Peru is just a film. People might leave with a sense that they should be kinder. But soon after their normal views and activities will come streaming back.

Or... It is too big a task for any one film alone. But Paddington in Peru could help fuel a larger movement to celebrate kindness and tolerance.